Recently on one of the milliard satellite content vessels, the feel-good classic Grizzly Man was broadcast, so of course I was compelled to watch. If you haven't seen it, I can't recommend it strongly enough; if you have, you know the magic of it. One of the main takeaways for me has always been the rather mundane observation that perhaps Disney, with its endless permutations of friendly animals that are, in real life, quite deadly and indifferent to your human concerns, has fucked up the minds of several generations of simpletons.
That's simply a circuitous path to saying that people are incredibly skilled at developing teleological viewpoints through which to view the world and how it works. Inevitably it comes down to them viewing and interacting with the world while encumbered with the baggage of their expectations of how the world should work. Like the unfortunate Timothy Treadwell from Grizzly Man, such people have an unrealistic view of how things really are. They are fine so long as their existential bubble doesn't clash overtly with reality, but the moment that it does is, let's say, rather clarifying.
And so you could graft that perspective onto the viewpoint of whatever remaining holdouts there are at this point, those hardheaded doofuses who are still convinced that 'murka's hallowed institutions will save the day.
The announced retirement of Anthony Kennedy simply underscores the entire miserable track record of Kennedy's SCOTUS tenure. He is and always has been fucking terrible, a preening, showboating Hamlet of a judge, concerned more than anything with casting the deciding vote on any given case. He will not be missed, and it's interesting and fitting that Kennedy has chosen to blow up what legacy he had, so unceremoniously.
(And now we suddenly are apprised that Kennedy's son Justin is a Goldman Sachs alum who has been Clownstick's fucking loan guy at Deutsche Bank. I don't know what's more ridiculous -- that yet another plot point has surfaced that would have been flat rejected by any copy editor as too preposterous, or that none of our intrepid media could have been bothered to ferret out this salient detail, I don't know, during the fucking election campaign? Sorta puts Bitch McConnell's decision to shorten Congress' summer recess in a different light, doesn't it?)
Which brings us to a third and broader popular teleology -- the idea that things will work out in the end. Frequently this is phrased as the warmed-over Martin Luther King quote about the moral arc of the universe being long, but bending toward justice. I would counter that with the classic J.K. Galbraith quote that in the long run, we're all dead.
Just as importantly, things don't always work out. History is littered with tales of valiant striving that was quashed by evil, unstoppable brutality, with no recourse. That "moral arc" shit doesn't work for me; I am not particularly concerned with where my fifth-generation descendants wind up, except insofar that they pay attention at all times and fight when necessary.
And I would put those two relatively simple skills forward as essential to the body politic. Do you want change? Do you despise the motherless fucks running the show right now? Then pay attention at all times and fight as necessary. That is all, but that is a lot, once you break those things down.
People are getting ready to protest, and this is bound to be an interesting summer for that reason. People will get hurt, possibly killed. I would suggest that there is a better way, that will hit harder, and produce no physical casualties. If you identify the biggest offenders and boycott them accordingly, they will squeal, I promise you. An organized boycott of Fox's various networks or Mark Burnett's various "reality" shitshows will produce far more value than a billion pussy hats.
Just don't fall for this shit that people are essentially good, and things will work out. They aren't, and they won't. There is an understandable undercurrent of anger in this country right now, and it will only be exacerbated as the tariffs start kicking in next month, and assholes start losing their jobs over the summer.
A smart, adaptable political party would capitalize on that anger and create momentum. Instead we have the Democrats trying to tone-police each other and make sure everyone's civil while the fucking ship is sinking. Well, as grandma used to say, fuck that shit.
No one is coming to rescue you. The bears are not your friends. Barry O is not going to save the day. The careerist limp-dick mediots are mostly useless. If you feel like the pigs currently at the trough are genuinely a threat to the country and its institutions, then maybe it's time to act like it. Develop a sense of urgency and insist that your elected representatives do the same, or they can go out and find honest work.
That's simply a circuitous path to saying that people are incredibly skilled at developing teleological viewpoints through which to view the world and how it works. Inevitably it comes down to them viewing and interacting with the world while encumbered with the baggage of their expectations of how the world should work. Like the unfortunate Timothy Treadwell from Grizzly Man, such people have an unrealistic view of how things really are. They are fine so long as their existential bubble doesn't clash overtly with reality, but the moment that it does is, let's say, rather clarifying.
And so you could graft that perspective onto the viewpoint of whatever remaining holdouts there are at this point, those hardheaded doofuses who are still convinced that 'murka's hallowed institutions will save the day.
The announced retirement of Anthony Kennedy simply underscores the entire miserable track record of Kennedy's SCOTUS tenure. He is and always has been fucking terrible, a preening, showboating Hamlet of a judge, concerned more than anything with casting the deciding vote on any given case. He will not be missed, and it's interesting and fitting that Kennedy has chosen to blow up what legacy he had, so unceremoniously.
(And now we suddenly are apprised that Kennedy's son Justin is a Goldman Sachs alum who has been Clownstick's fucking loan guy at Deutsche Bank. I don't know what's more ridiculous -- that yet another plot point has surfaced that would have been flat rejected by any copy editor as too preposterous, or that none of our intrepid media could have been bothered to ferret out this salient detail, I don't know, during the fucking election campaign? Sorta puts Bitch McConnell's decision to shorten Congress' summer recess in a different light, doesn't it?)
Which brings us to a third and broader popular teleology -- the idea that things will work out in the end. Frequently this is phrased as the warmed-over Martin Luther King quote about the moral arc of the universe being long, but bending toward justice. I would counter that with the classic J.K. Galbraith quote that in the long run, we're all dead.
Just as importantly, things don't always work out. History is littered with tales of valiant striving that was quashed by evil, unstoppable brutality, with no recourse. That "moral arc" shit doesn't work for me; I am not particularly concerned with where my fifth-generation descendants wind up, except insofar that they pay attention at all times and fight when necessary.
And I would put those two relatively simple skills forward as essential to the body politic. Do you want change? Do you despise the motherless fucks running the show right now? Then pay attention at all times and fight as necessary. That is all, but that is a lot, once you break those things down.
People are getting ready to protest, and this is bound to be an interesting summer for that reason. People will get hurt, possibly killed. I would suggest that there is a better way, that will hit harder, and produce no physical casualties. If you identify the biggest offenders and boycott them accordingly, they will squeal, I promise you. An organized boycott of Fox's various networks or Mark Burnett's various "reality" shitshows will produce far more value than a billion pussy hats.
Just don't fall for this shit that people are essentially good, and things will work out. They aren't, and they won't. There is an understandable undercurrent of anger in this country right now, and it will only be exacerbated as the tariffs start kicking in next month, and assholes start losing their jobs over the summer.
A smart, adaptable political party would capitalize on that anger and create momentum. Instead we have the Democrats trying to tone-police each other and make sure everyone's civil while the fucking ship is sinking. Well, as grandma used to say, fuck that shit.
No one is coming to rescue you. The bears are not your friends. Barry O is not going to save the day. The careerist limp-dick mediots are mostly useless. If you feel like the pigs currently at the trough are genuinely a threat to the country and its institutions, then maybe it's time to act like it. Develop a sense of urgency and insist that your elected representatives do the same, or they can go out and find honest work.
Great read. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHey, I agree with this!
ReplyDeleteWe're like victims of domestic violence, where we'll put up with and even laud Anthony Kennedy out of fear of what else is out there.
The guy was terrible.